Healthy Kids Program

Healthy EATING Choices Eat a variety of foods Mix it up! Eat foods from each food group every day. Include at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Don t skip meals Breakfast is important! Eat within a couple of hours of waking up. When you are awake and active, be sure to eat every 3 to 4 hours. Know your portions Read the nutrition facts on the food label to see what the standard serving sizes are for the food you are eating.

5 Ways to Build Healthy Habits 1 2 3 4 5 Wake up to the benefits of a healthy and well-balanced breakfast. Move for 60 Minutes daily - fun stuff counts too! Drink milk! It ll help build strong bones and lower your blood pressure. Talk about your healthy eating goals during meal time. Make sure to eat 3 good meals a day to keep you going and feeling great! Most importantly... be active! Be active and move your body every day - walking or even playing with your friends counts. Try to stay active for at least 60 minutes each day.

Daily Numbers to remember 1 2 3 4 5 hour of physical activity hours or less of screen time (TV & computers) good laughs with friends glasses of water servings of fruits & vegetables

Packing a Healthy Lunch Focus on fruits: pack yummy whole fruits for lunch. Vary your veggies: try baby carrots or celery sticks for a quick snack. Whole grains: make sure that at least half of your grains are whole. Protein foods: go lean with protein to stay strong. Dairy: pick calcium-rich foods. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

Your plate Protein Dairy Grain Fruits and Veggies

Easy ways to get the nutrients you need! Harness the POWER of potassium! Potassium is essential for your body s growth. It helps maintain the normal function of the heart, kidneys, muscles, and nervous system. Try a banana (450 mg of potassium), a small orange (174 mg of potassium), or a sweet potato (950 mg of potassium). Did you know that soy and almond milk contain about the same amount of calcium as a glass of milk? Monty s favorite is chocolate almond milk! Fresh fruits and vegetables have the most nutrients when eaten just after picking. So while you re helping out in the garden, grab a handful of berries or cherry tomatoes for the most Vitamin C. Tasty edamame beans provide fabulous fiber: 8 grams in a cup! Most kids need 10-20 grams of fiber in a day. FIN-tastic fact! A serving of rainbow trout or salmon provides over 600 mg of heart healthy oils. That s about half of the recommended amount. Eat Smart! Enjoy a healthier pizza! Skip meat toppings; instead load up on veggies like mushrooms and peppers. If you can, choose a whole-wheat crust and pair your slice with a small side-salad for a filling and delicious meal. Paint your plate healthy! Choose red (tomatoes), green (dark lettuce), orange (sweet potatoes or carrots), pink (salmon), and purple (blueberries). Air-popped popcorn is a great snack low in calories and a great source of fiber (5 cups of popcorn contains 5 grams of fiber). The average candy bar contains 30 grams of sugar, but the recommended sugar intake for kids is 12 grams a day. Switch to a better sweet! A cup of strawberries contains only 7g of sugar and is a naturally sweet snack that also provides the fiber and vitamins your body needs.

Portions made easy! Want a good visual for your daily serving of dairy? Your low-fat cheese portion should be the size of three game dice. No one should eat a golf ball, but you can have a golf ball-sized serving of peanut butter each day! Use your hands to estimate proper portions. Your thumb is about a tablespoon and your fist is about a cup. Eat two fistfuls of fruit each day as a tasty treat! Protein provides essential nutrients for muscle growth. Eat a serving of protein at least 2-3 times a day. A serving of protein should be the size of your palm or a deck of cards. Get moving year-round! Winter exercise can be fun! 30 minutes of making snow angels or building a snowman will burn 130 calories. Get moving for at least 60 minutes a day. Take a walk with your furry friend, stack wood, help your family with yard work, vacuum your room, or shovel the walkway. Try to keep TV, video games, internet surfing, and computer time to no more than 1-2 hours a day. Want strong bones? Get moving and eat your calcium! Physical activity builds bone density and calcium helps achieve good bone mass. Find calcium in dairy products, fortified cereals, and some fruits and vegetables.

Know what you eat! Read the label: beverages can have lots of sugar! Choose low-fat milk or water over sugary drink options. Seltzer water mixed with a small amount of juice can be a thirst quenching drink on a hot summer day. Make ice cubes out of your favorite juice and fruit. Although delicious, a large muffin could contain over 700 calories and 40 grams of fat! Share one with a friend instead. Tacos are a great way to eat your vegetables. Load up your taco with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, salsa, hot peppers, corn or any other vegetables and get up to two vegetable servings. Olé! Hummus is made from chickpeas. It is packed with protein, fiber, vitamins and healthy oils. Enjoy it with raw vegetables, crackers or as a sandwich spread. Yummy Snack Time Tips! Snack on yummy dried fruits such as apricots or raisins. Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on 2 graham crackers and add a sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich. Spread delicious peanut butter on apple slices. Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with a yummy lowfat vanilla yogurt.

Exercising is easier than you think! Have a relay race with your friends: Grab some cones, sporting equipment, or anything that would make a good marker and challenge your friends to a race in the backyard. Minute to win it: Put your own spin on Minute to win it games. See how many jumping jacks, pushups, or mountain climbers you can do in one minute and then try and beat your best score each time. Tag, you re it! What s your favorite game of tag? Freeze tag? Blob tag? Tunnel Tag? Take turns picking your favorite tag games to play with your friends. Build your own obstacle course: Use things you can find around the house such as pillows, cushions, chairs, and blankets, then use your imagination to build a fun indoor obstacle course. Before and after any physical activity, it s important to remember to stretch! Muscle groups to keep in mind are your calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, hip flexors, shoulders, chest, back, biceps, and triceps.

Healthy kids log It s important to stay healthy year-round, so use this log as a way to track your progress! Write down which fun activities you used to stay active and healthy during the school year and you can be rewarded! Any student (grades K-8) who spends at least 60 minutes a day exercising for 30 days will be given a FREE child s Grandstand ticket to a 2014 Vermont Lake Monsters regular season home game, where they will be recognized for their achievements! Here s How to Qualify: Any student in grades K 8 may submit one (1) entry Complete at least 60 minutes of activity per day for 30 days (does not need to be consecutive) Fill out this activity log and mail it back with a self-addressed stamped envelope by June 1st 2014 Upon receipt, the Lake Monsters will mail you back a FREE Lake Monsters ticket voucher! Then just come enjoy a fun night of baseball with your friends and family! Send completed form to: Vermont Lake Monsters, Attn: Healthy Kids Program, 1 King Street, Burlington, VT 05401. No late arrivals (after June 1st) or entries without a self-addressed stamped envelope will be eligible. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us: (802) 655-4200

Healthy kids log Name: Email: Address: Date Phone: Activity Total Time

Thank you for participating in our Healthy Kids Program! You re on your way to becoming healthier and happier already. Don t forget to check vermontlakemonsters.com for fitness program information and updates. To learn more about Vermont Children s Hospital at Fletcher Allen Health Care, go to fletcherallen.org/children